Paint This Final Night
by lightblue-Nymphadora
Summary: Faberittana fic. The girls are outed and they make a drastic decision. Quinn/Rachel/Brittany/Santana


_**LbN: No idea where this came from. None. The title is a line from the theme to Black Butler.**_

"I don't see them," Rachel whispered. "You don't think anything happened?"

Quinn was quiet for a moment. She reached over and ran a hand through Rachel's hair. "We're a little early," she said finally. "They probably just got held up."

The next fifteen minutes were the longest of either girl's life. Finally, just when Quinn was starting to panic, they saw Santana's car turn into the parking lot. "God…" she whispered.

The two of them got out, locked Quinn's car, and jumped into Santana's SUV.

"Sorry," Santana said immediately. "We had an issue."

"My parents put an alarm on the door," Brittany said. "I told them I was going swimming."

"But we had to wait another fifteen minutes before she could sneak out of the backyard."

"And now I smell like pool."

"I'm just glad you guys are okay," Rachel said.

"Do you guys have everything?" Santana asked.

"Yeah," Quinn said. "We're ready." She sat back and pulled Rachel closer as Santana drove out of the Lima Bean parking lot. As they drove out of Lima, she couldn't help thinking of how they'd gotten to this point.

* * *

"_You can't tell our parents, Ms. Pillsbury," Santana insisted. _

"_I'm half a sin away from getting sent to a Catholic boarding school in Ireland," Quinn said. "They'd probably schedule an exorcism if they found out about us."_

"_You guys," Mr. Schuester said. "Your parents deserve to know that you're—"_

"_Let me stop you right there, Mr. Schue," Rachel interrupted. "If you think we're the only kids hiding relationships, you're completely deluded. Second, we've already explained that Santana and Quinn's parents would throw a shit fit if they found out. It's not fair to us if you go telling them that we're in a relationship. We should be able to tell them when we're ready. We're not engaging in any unsafe or irresponsible behavior. Therefore, you have no ethical obligation to tell them."_

"_I'm sorry, girls," Emma said. "It's too late for that. Your parents are on their way."_

* * *

"_I missed you," Brittany said, hugging Quinn._

"_We missed you too, Ducky. How'd you get out this time?"_

"_Had to walk Gonzo," she said, nodding to her puppy. "I can't stay long."_

"_We know," Santana said. "Are you okay?"_

_Brittany nodded. "They…they've been quieter. My parents. And they're talking about sending me to Amsterdam to live with my cousins."_

"_WHAT?" Quinn and Santana asked._

"_I don't think they really mean it."_

_The other two just shared a glance._

* * *

"_Quinn!" Leroy Berry said. "What—?"_

"_Please," Quinn said, through tears. She was drenched from the rain and couldn't stop shivering. "I need to see Rachel."_

"_Come in, honey. Rachel!" _

_The tiny brunette came down the stair and gasped. "Quinn?"_

"_They're sending me to North Dakota. It's a boarding school for troubled kids," Quinn said, sobbing now. "I don't want to leave."_

_Rachel pulled her into a hug. "Quinn's staying here tonight, Daddy."_

_Leroy sighed. "Fine."_

* * *

"_Fuck this," Santana growled. She'd made it over in record time, parent lock down be damned. "You're not going anywhere, Q."_

"_What do you suggest, Santana?" Quinn asked quietly._

"_We should just leave," Brittany whispered._

"_Britt?"_

"_Everyone here hates us now," she said, sniffling. "Our parents barely talk to us. People at school have been worse than usual. Even the glee kids treat us different. We should just leave."_

_They were all quiet. It was an odd moment—one where they all came to the decision, and words weren't needed. _

"_I need your laptop, Rachel," Santana said quietly._

* * *

Quinn had never done so much math in one night. Between calculating travel, rent, tuition fees, and more, her head had been near bursting by the end of the night. In the next week, they'd made plans and gotten everything together. Santana, who easily had the most money of all of them, opened a new bank account and all of them had transferred their savings into it. Somehow, Rachel had found an apartment that would fit the four of them without draining all of their money. They'd said their goodbyes that day at school—though none of their friends knew that it was forever.

"Go to sleep, baby," Rachel whispered. "I'll stay up with Santana."

"I'm too nervous."

"What'll happen if they notice we're gone?" Brittany asked.

"Rachel's the only one who's not 18," Santana asked. "They'll probably put out a police alert, so Baby Girl's going to have to lay low for a couple weeks."

"Good thing I reserved the apartment under my name," Quinn said, yawning.

"This is insane," Rachel said. "It's not fair."

"Two years, Ray Bear. Then we'll all go to New York together," Brittany said.

* * *

Times like these, Quinn was actually grateful that Santana drove like a bat out of hell. Sure, she'd fussed at the younger girl a few times, but still…they made it to Chicago in three and a half hours. They found a hotel in the suburbs of the city and settled in for the night.

"I'm setting the alarm for nine," Santana said. She smiled as the other three groaned.

"Never thought my last night in Lima would be like that," Rachel said, cuddling into Brittany. "But in a weird way, I'm glad it was."

"Because it was ours. No one else telling us what to do," Quinn mumbled.

"Exactly," Brittany said through a yawn. "Good night."

* * *

They were on the news for about three weeks. The fourth week, Rachel turned 18, and America stopped caring.

Brittany was the first one to get a job. She came bouncing into the two bedroom apartment around three one afternoon and basically tackled Santana onto the couch. "I did it!"

"Did what, Ducky?" Quinn called from the kitchen.

"I got the job at the dance studio! Not teaching," she said, seeing Santana's excited face. "I'm just the receptionist. But they said I could sit in on classes on the days I'm not working. So at least I still get to dance."

Rachel was next, with a job at McDonalds ("It'll be good for my biography one day!"). Then Quinn got a gig at a movie theater, and Santana started working at a bookstore.

It took them a month to start doubting their decision. It took two months for them to get over those doubts and settle into a routine. By the fourth month, Rachel was talking about her Broadway dreams again, and Brittany was teaching dance classes, having gotten caught helping some students with their routine. It took six months for Kurt and Blaine to find them. One month after that, they returned to Lima to tell their families what they'd been up to. Two out of the four got disowned.

As the snow settled in that Christmas, Rachel and Santana had finished their GEDs and Quinn and Brittany were starting theirs. Their presents were promises of New York. Quinn gazed out of the window as she held Santana in her arms. She smiled. Rachel had been right. This _was_ insane. But it was them. And she knew they'd make it.


End file.
